Plain Song
by Sevi Dali
Summary: (Uploaded Ch.1) JuOuChou becomes semi-political and Tsuzuki gets smacked with a WTF stick.
1. Prologue: Homeward Bound

-Disclaimer-  
YnM and its respective characters belong to Yoko Matsushita and a bunch of rich people who live westward across the ocean. So don't sue me. This fan fiction is written for the purpose of entertainment.   
Warning: Rated PG-13 unless noted otherwise. Major signs of OOC, for a good reason. TsuxHi eventually, but watch out for non-canons! >D  
No 003s were injured during this production ^_^  
  
-Background Information-  
_Takes place loosely after the Kyoto Arc with references from the Gensoukai Arc._  
Tsuzuki has left the agency shortly after the incident in Kyoto, causing the members of the Shokan Division to suffer from having their top agent abandon them in a time of need. Now, ten years later, Tsuzuki returns to find JuOuChou completely changed. Hoping to arrive and have everything resume the way it used to be was only a fantasy he couldn't receive. Partners have been switched and stationed in different areas, and friendships have changed…And chaos runs amuck with a big sharp pointy stick.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Plain Song  
  
A Yami no Matsuei Fan Fiction  
Written and Illustrated by Sevi Dali  
  
Prologue: Homeward Bound  
  
---------------------------------  
  
It was late afternoon, the sun already setting down and splashing warm hues against the sky like watercolors on canvas. Airplanes shot themselves skywards continuously while others were unloading passengers from around the globe. LAX was pact with boisterous customers, buying tickets and rounding up in-groups or singles, waiting for their flights or the arrival of friends. With the Christmas season arriving, family members and friends rushed to get to their holiday destinations. To spend time with loved ones that lived abroad. But to Tsuzuki, Christmas was just another day in the year spent and passing soon. Tsuzuki didn't buy or wrap anything for anybody. He was empty-handed except for his personal belongings in a small baggage and his ticket jammed in the pocket of his overcoat.  
  
_"Flight 352, Tokyo Japan, departing in ten minutes. Repeat, Flight 352…"_  
  
"Well, darling, off you go."  
  
Tsuzuki closed his eyes and bowed. The gesture would have seemed mocking coming from anyone else, but from him, it was his own variation of some sort of awkward sweetness. "It's been a pleasure, Jess."  
  
Her face broke into a smile, immediately dissolving any traces of formality between them. She took his face between her hands and kissed him on the cheek. "I bid thee farewell, sir knight."  
  
He laughed.   
  
"The sir find this amusing?" Jess continued with her British imitation and switch right back to her native tongue. "Really, Mr. Asato Tsuzuki. Just when I was starting to break down into tears."  
  
Another airplane took off, momentarily blocking the setting sun and casting a cool shadow through the large windows. Tsuzuki's eyes followed the depression from the disappearing highlights of Jess's auburn hair and across the room where it vanished beneath the florescent lights of LAX's luxurious station.   
  
_ "Last call, flight 352. Flight 352, this is the last call. Enjoy your trip and thank you for flying with us…"_  
  
Tsuzuki sighed and scooped his baggage. "Jess." He gathered her into her arms in a friendly embrace.  
  
_"…for more information, please contact your local…"_  
  
The embrace broke as passengers rushed towards the gate. Jess lost him in the multitude of bodies; suitcases, arms, lined faces and groaning complaints of last minute traffic. She spotted him again in the mouth of the tunnel, and distinctly saw his familiar hand raise in the air for a final wave before blending in with the masses.  
  
Before their trip to the airport, Jess foretold that she was going to break down into tears. The feeling of emptiness would have settled into the pit of her stomach. But she was not the bit surprised to find herself actually alleviated from the pressure she felt the first day she bumped into Tsuzuki in downtown LA. The man always had a sort of complex she couldn't pin down. If Tsuzuki was abrupt, he had never been rude. If he was cold, he had never been unkind.   
  
If Tsuzuki had his secrets, anyone involved would surely be sucked right into them.  
  
A man in a long white trench coat ran into her, saw who she was and blinked. They both stared a moment, and Jess had the courage to look from a clean mop of silver hair right down to a pair of miss-matched silver eyes.  
  
The man curtly bowed his head and said in a strange accent: "I'm sorry, ma'am." His apology was spoken like a compliment, sensitive and sensuous. He smelled of musky cologne and cigarettes.   
  
Before Jess could say anything, he turned around and hurried along his way.   
  
  
This is a repost of the original prolgue, Desecration. After I read it so many times, I realized it was SO horrible, I had to pull it out of FF.net, re-write the entire thing and post it again. ^_^ I feel better.  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1: Broken Time Machine

  
-Disclaimer-  
YnM and its respective characters belong to Yoko Matsushita and a bunch of rich people who live westward across the ocean. So don't sue me. This fan fiction is written for the purpose of entertainment.   
Warning: Rated PG-13 unless noted otherwise. Major signs of OOC, for a good reason. TsuxHi eventually, but watch out for non-canons! >D  
No 003s were injured during this production ^_^  
  
-Background Information-  
Takes place loosely after the Kyoto Arc with references from the Gensoukai Arc.  
Tsuzuki has left the agency shortly after the incident in Kyoto, causing the members of the Shokan Division to suffer from having their top agent abandon them in a time of need. Now, ten years later, Tsuzuki returns to find JuOuChou completely changed. Hoping to arrive and have everything resume the way it used to be was only a fantasy he couldn't receive. Partners have been switched and stationed in different areas, and friendships have changed…And chaos runs amuck with a big sharp pointy stick.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Plain Song  
  
A Yami no Matsuei Fan Fiction  
Written and Illustrated by Sevi Dali  
  
Chapter One: Broken Time Machine  
  
"Interestingly, according to modern astronomers, space is finite. This is a very comforting thought - particularly for people who cannot remember where they left things."   
-Woody Allen   
  
---------------------------------  
  
JuOuChou, the top district which held the most elite of the shinigami of all of Shokan Division, had a Council that made it a point to remind them that they were just that: Shinigami. Hand of death, hand of death, just a fiction, like mythological creatures, whispers from humans would murmur at the mention of a shinigami and they would hear it themselves as they blended in with the mortal mass. And it was always a problem for the new guys, to be mocked such a way when what they were doing was actually for the good.  
  
They didn't like to call it 'killing'; they were just hired to investigate unnatural deaths.  
  
But killing is still killing.  
  
Nevertheless, Tatsumi Seiichirou, secretary and second right-hand man of the Council, never had a problem with that. A job is a job, and he knew of the consequences that would befall whenever tribulations shook the division. To him, being a shinigami was like being an attorney. And it was with that analogy that he looked upon his job as any other regular profession; where staff members checked in, get salaries, wore suits, and held meetings.   
  
"That attitude will be the death of you." The Chief commented as they walked towards the boardroom. Little did he like to admit that he knew Tatsumi was much more professional than he was. He considered promoting Tatsumi to a higher status, but every month after they sent in the tax, he was glad that this man was their secretary.   
  
"It helps me focus." Tatsumi replied dryly, pushing his glasses further up the brim of his nose.  
  
"You scare me sometimes, Tatsumi. There are occasions I wish you were more like Watari."  
  
"Would you like Watari to be more like me?"   
  
"The man wouldn't be able to do that if his beaker collection depended on it!" Konoe laughed.  
  
"And Tatsumi wouldn't be able to loosen up if he was handed 200,000 yen to do so." A sarcastic Southern accent chuckled behind them.  
  
"Oh, Watari-san…" Tatsumi hide his amusement.  
  
"I happen to be an excellent money manager." Watari harumphed. "And in case you haven't noticed, I never had to pay a debt in my existence."  
  
Konoe and Tatsumi corrected matter-of-factly: "Yes you did."  
  
"In no more than two weeks."  
  
Their voiced chorused: "Three."  
  
"Three. Whatever. But I only maxed out my limits during emergencies."  
  
Tatsumi replied, "And whatever you do in your laboratory is nothing BUT emergencies."  
  
"Square." Watari snorted. "I have a box of chocolate donuts, but I think I'll just give some to Wakaba-chan instead." The trio entered the boardroom in a single file; Konoe taking his seat at the head of the long rectangular table with Tatsumi seated at his left side.   
  
One of the interesting aspects of the Council was the relationship between their personality to that of a real politician. They were the regular members of JuOuChou, two or three represented each different district. When outside, they were who they were; a clash of jumbled zany baboons who couldn't be trusted with a palette knife in a dark room. But when they were inside the boardroom, masks slip on and it was like a transformation from adolescence to adulthood. Nevertheless, whether they were out during a case or inside discussing issues, they were the most prominent among their colleagues.   
  
"This meeting will now be commencing." Konoe announced. His voice carried nicely in the wide room.  
  
Council members turned their attention to his voice.  
  
Konoe nodded to Tatsumi.  
  
"The first topic at hand is the pending charges incurred by the Hokkaido Case…"  
  
The meeting dragged. The usual issue was brought up: Money. There was enough, Tatsumi thought, more than enough to support all the necessary side cases that would be faxed into their hands. Repair projects on the other hand…  
  
Tatsumi spotted Hisoka standing by the doorway. The boy nodded at his direction, turned and left. Hisoka was hardly at the meetings, claiming that he didn't have anything to suggest. But Tatsumi always found Hisoka leaning against the doorframe, whenever it was open, or when it wasn't, Tatsumi would see the silhouette behind the sepia stained glass window of the oak door.  
  
His eyes wandered from the empty doorframe towards the calendar pinned above the water dispenser. It read November 12. But it was already December 9, 2007 to be exact. It then occurred to him that whoever displayed that calendar and flipped the pages every month must have forgotten about it; a token to keep track of time, now deserted. Time must have stopped for that one person. And if he was correct, time stopped for everybody else.  
  
Since the Kyoto affair, things slipped. Minds slipped. Sanity slipped greatly.   
  
It was hard to figure out the truth from a lie. Lies were everywhere. From the cover-up of the failed Kyoto mission to the denial of…  
  
The secretary snapped out of his daydreaming when he felt Konoe nudge his shoulder.  
  
"More male shinigamis are accepted than female. The entire JuOuChou District is overridden by the males…not that I object." Kazuma was saying.  
  
"It's obvious." Terazuma snorted, feeling the urge to ignite an old-age rival to some arguing. "The male mind is sharper."  
  
Wakaba spoke next, or rather, retorted: "Oh please. That's what one calls self-deceit."  
  
"If you have a problem with that, talk to the department recruiters! The majority of them are women!"  
  
And this set the course for another hour's worth of debating an ancient war between the sexes. Tatsumi sat back and watched. He would not rather intrude what now became an argument. There was never a problem about gender-based issues before, in fact, Tatsumi couldn't remember when it became a major topic of debate. Whether there was more male than female, it was a trivial topic to waste dwelling upon. The meeting closed just in time for lunch break. After members contributed their opinions, the floor closed, ending with most of its issues solved.  
  
"Meeting is adjourned." Konoe stood up. Everybody followed. Tatsumi finished jotting down notes.  
  
"Another morning gone away…" Konoe sighed. "Days are passing by faster as you grow older."  
  
"Older and wiser." Tatsumi nodded and received a snort.  
  
"Just older." They walked outside the boardroom down the hallway. Konoe finally broke silence, "How long has it been?"  
  
"How long since?"  
  
"Since I can remember you going out on lunch break?"  
  
Tatsumi took a moment to swallow that. He saw Konoe eyeing the overcoat slung over his arm. "I've been going out for lunch break the past year."  
  
"You used to stay behind your desk with a ham sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other."  
  
"Fresh air is the breath of life." Tatsumi said as he slipped into his overcoat. "Would you prefer I stay cooped up in the office and work on the bills? I always do bring you back something."  
  
Konoe grinned. "And that's why I encourage you to go out."  
  
He laughed. "Very well, then Chief. Now, if you excuse me, lunch is waiting." He nodded a farewell and headed towards the door where Hisoka was waiting. Konoe stood solemnly as he watched Tatsumi put an arm around Hisoka's shoulder.  
  
His face brimmed as the duo walked off.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Hello."  
  
"How'd you get this number?"  
  
"I have my ways. You didn't say Hi to me at the airport."  
  
"I knew that was you."  
  
"And you didn't say Hi?"  
  
"I wasn't sure if I should. You looked entirely different since college."  
  
"Who else has silver silk tresses and marvelous silver eyes?"  
  
"You're self-indulging."  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
"How's Ukyou-chan?"  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
"Wonderful?"  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
"Something must be wrong."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"With you and Ukyou, nothing is "wonderful"."  
  
"What makes you sure?"  
  
"Woman's instinct. Speaking of which, what were you doing in California?"  
  
'I should ask the same."  
  
"I live here, dumbass."  
  
"Hah…Business. I was attending an international conference with out-of-state professors and doctors."  
  
"Don't you sound important?"  
  
"I happened to be leaving that same day you were there."  
  
"You just wanted to follow Asato, didn't you?"  
  
"Aah…So he was there?"  
  
"Yeeeeeees. I took him there."  
  
"How was the departure?"  
  
"Like a drama."  
  
"I would have cried if I had to watch my beloved take off…"  
  
"Which beloved?"  
  
"What are you implying?"  
  
"Pig. Leave him alone. You've put him through enough hell."  
  
"So, it's your turn?"  
  
"I'm not horrid like you."  
  
"And the boy?"  
  
"What about the boy?"  
  
"What are you going to do about the boy?"  
  
"Am I supposed to do anything?"  
  
"You don't have to, dearie. I like to take care of my dolls."  
  
"Oh, God, don't do anything weird, Kazutaka."  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Woman's instinct."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"You." It came out without a hint of surprise. Just a monotonic syllable expressed in a dull manner, like a G note in a broken down piano. You.  
  
Tsuzuki flinched slightly at the harsh greeting; if it could be considered a greeting. And it was like a smack across the face, especially when that greeting came from Yuma. The girl had just stepped out the front doors of JuOuChou, a purse in one hand with the other in her pocket. It was 12:35, and obviously lunch break. As soon as their eyes met, she stopped halfway down the steps and cast a blank stare. There was nothing more to say, as she self claimed, so she brushed passed Tsuzuki and walked down the stone pavement the Sakura trees framed.   
  
He noticed that that was just a mere fragment of what was to come. Tsuzuki thought that as soon as he stepped through the large double doors, faces would turn. The nice young woman behind the table, where everybody checked in, would stare as he approached her, and then let out a cry of joy at his arrival. The greetings and welcomes would continue from his trip through the elevator right up to his old office where he expected squeals and calls. His old friends jumping from their desks and rewarding his return with a hug and an exchange for words.  
  
Watari would joke about something or the other, and then Wakaba would simply cling on to him and shower him with welcome kisses. The chief would berate him and then welcome him, and then the old-fashioned exchange of witty banter with Terazuma would ensue. Then Tatsumi's warm smile; his caring smile with those lovely blue eyes behind spectacles, looking upon him with the familiar feeling of acceptance. And then Hisoka. Emerald eyes would light up, springing forth tears of joy as he flung himself in Tsuzuki's arms…  
  
Wishful thinking, he thought bitterly to himself. In fact, the nice young woman behind the table didn't recognize him at all. She even typed in his name through the search engine and he wasn't in the records. His ID was invalid, for it had expired five years ago. She asked if he made an appointment, but he curtly replied it with a negative. It took fifteen minutes before getting Enma DaiOu's direct permission to let him in. An unexpected turn of events. Even the ride in the elevator made Tsuzuki feel like he was trapped in a moment of insecurity. No one looked at him, no one knew him.  
  
But he remembered them…  
  
The janitor who he'd sneak in a donut right before break ended.  
  
The filing manager who was always paranoid about her nails…and many others.  
  
He almost leaped out as soon as the elevator doors opened. So far, he hadn't spoken to anybody. There were a few glances at his direction, especially when he went down the hallway towards the main office…  
  
…His office.  
  
Tsuzuki stopped in front of the door, feeling his heart thumping like a rabbit on crack. He had been gone for ten years. What can he expect? Will they recognize him? Will they welcome him? Will they purposely ignore him?   
  
So, he took a deep breath, placed a stiff hand on the doorknob, turned and pushed.  
  
"May I help you?" A young lady, who looked barely out of her teens, asked. She had raven black tresses tied to a professional topknot. Black eyeliner accentuated exotic eyes, a miraculous azure, and natural cherubic lips curved upwards in a peaceful smile. On her white dress shirt was a black nametag with white letters engraved:  
  
Aoki Rei  
Department Recruiter  
Section 618 - JuOuChou  
  
Tsuzuki's eyes wandered from the tag back to her face. "Uhm…"  
  
"Are you here for an appointment?"  
  
Appointment? Since when did they start scheduling appointments? Since when did their department have recruiters? Speaking of which, since when did the office turn into such a dinky room? Tsuzuki looked around, from the large oak desk the recruiter sat to the potted plant extending fine green leaves towards the ceiling. "I'm…"  
  
"Tsuzuki?"  
  
Yeah, he thought, that's me… "Watari?" He recognized that outrageous Southern accent, and he certainly couldn't mistake that mass of bleached hair popping from an open door at the back of the room. Hazel eyes shone with surprise behind bispecles as Watari inched closer towards Tsuzuki.  
  
"Yutaka-san?" The young lady questioned.  
  
"It's all right, Rei-kun." He smiled. "Let him in." She shrugged and motioned for Tsuzuki to pass. He went around the desk and followed Watari through the door. As they entered the office, his old office, they turned around to face each other.  
  
"Tsuzuki." Watari said, his face still frozen in shock.   
  
"Hi, Watari." Tsuzuki nodded, feeling a crooked smile creep across his face.  
  
And time stopped.  
  
  
  
Sheesh, this chapter just keeps getting pulled out and re-edited...it's the fifth time today...::kicks chapter and goes to yell at herself::  
C&C welcome. Feedback, please! ;_;  
  
  



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